


Darkness

by DaisyChainz



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Star Wars Setting, Canon-Typical Violence, Gen, Non-Graphic Violence, Not Canon Compliant - Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Post star wars the rise of Kylo Ren, Pre-Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Ren and Poe have serious history
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-24
Updated: 2021-01-14
Packaged: 2021-02-27 03:46:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,107
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22310509
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DaisyChainz/pseuds/DaisyChainz
Summary: Why should the Canon Dark-Siders have all the fun?These are stand-alone works.
Relationships: Armitage Hux & Kylo Ren, Luke Skywalker & Ben Solo | Kylo Ren, Poe Dameron/Kylo Ren
Comments: 12
Kudos: 8





	1. Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ben Solo, and General Hux dislikes change.

The nausea, the turning of his stomach woke him. Ben rolled into his back, tried to twist his stomach into settling. The feeling didn't go away and only then did he realize the tightness was not nausea.

It was a burning hatred. 

A burning, searing, soul-rending hatred. Ben's eyes flew open to the sight of his Uncle standing over him, lightsaber lit and drawn back, preparing to strike him where he lay. His eyes burned with that hatred. Eyes that Ben had never seen. Not outside of his own nightmares.

Ben desperately called his lightsaber to hand, ignited and parried just as Luke struck. But as Ben's other hand flew out, his consciousness grasping the stones of his hut, feeling the room compressing around them . . . Luke's expression changed. He called out, voice harsh and demanding, even as it seemed shocked. 

"Ben wait! I didn't realize . . ."

But Ben's fist was already closing, and the room imploded; the world hurtling inward and darkness following. 

*** **

Hux stood in front of the holoprojecter room door. With a quick snap of his jacket and a squaring of his shoulders he was ready for his meeting with the Supreme Leader. And his apprentice. 

Hux disliked regime changes. It wasn't that he was worried his navy might fall apart. On the contrary, many a well organized military had outlasted every regime change in their history. His was no different. But change, especially of this caliber, brought many unknown variables. It would be good for all when the dust settled and everyone could be calm again. 

The door slid open. Until then, he had Kylo Ren to deal with. 

Stepping forward into the semi-darkness Hux fixed his eyes straight ahead, to where he would be seeing the Supreme Leader shortly. But he kept his attention on the lone figure in black that stood waiting ahead of him. He took his place beside Kylo Ren, standing bolt-straight and continuing to look forward. 

"Have you had any success on your mission, General Hux?" The modulated voice also spoke into the empty holo-chamber. 

"I will be giving the Supreme Leader my full report in just a moment. I fail to see why you need to hear it twice."

There was a long beat and then: "so, you have nothing to report."

He had very quickly discovered that the Apprentice was a brat. Hux turned his head to speak before he thought better of it. "No Ren. It does not mean I have nothing to report. It means you will receive it when the Supreme Leader does." He sealed his lips tightly and returned to drilling holes in the wall ahead with his glare. 

There was a long silence. Then the modulator crackled as Ren drew a breath to speak . . .

And the holo-chamber lit up. Supreme Leader was joining them. Both men stood a little straighter. 

"Ah. General Hux, Kylo Ren." The Supreme Leader spoke as if they had not been commanded to be waiting for him. "Report."

Before Hux could draw half a breath Kylo Ren stepped forward. "The Knights are nearly ready, Master. I found all the ones you told me to, and they all survived their trials."

With a hum that vibrated throughout the whole room, Supreme Leader nodded. "As I foresaw." He cocked his head and his eyes drilled into his apprentice. Kylo Ren lowered his mask, just slightly, but Hux saw it. "Did you doubt me, Apprentice?" Even Hux could feel the air in the room shrink. 

"No Master." He growled. "I doubted the beings you sent me for. I was not certain they would be up to your tasks."

Rubbing his chin the Supreme Leader hummed again. "Yes. I suppose I did set them some rather difficult trials. But I am pleased to hear they all survived. Are you not happy with your new command?"

Kylo tipped his head back slighty in Hux's direction. But that was not the command Supreme Leader was referring to. "I am very pleased with them."

Supreme Leader nodded. "Good. Because you are to be their Master. None of them are force sensitive, so you must be their eyes and ears to the Universe."

Hux felt a prick of hope. If Kylo Ren was being given this new assignment, perhaps . . .

Supreme Leader dashed that with his next words. "So General, how goes co-commanding? Has my Apprentice proven up to the task?"

It was still early days. Hux would have to work with this man, and sometimes closely. While he had not found Kylo Ren to be in the least bit helpful, and sometimes downright obstinate, he didn't wish to make an outright enemy of him. Not yet. "We are still sorting out our places within the co-commandership, Supreme Leader."

He chucked. "A very political answer, General. Regardless, you both have tasks set out for you; I have heard your cohort's report. What says yours?"

Kylo Ren stepped back next to Hux, turning his head towards him. Hux had no idea why he was suddenly so attentive, what Hux had to say couldn't possibly interest him. He spoke clearly and directly to the Supreme Leader, ignoring Kylo Ren. 

"We found the system you were looking for. It's in the Outer Rim, almost exactly where you said it would be."

The Supreme Leader's eyes glittered with what Hux had learned could be either a sort of humor or danger. There was no knowing until his next words. 

"Only almost?" 

"A few of the landmarks along the way had shifted. Apparently there had been a comet in the area not long ago."

"Ah." Responded Supreme Leader, but he was looking at Kylo Ren. 

Hux had no idea what was passing between them, and he only cared because this was not information he could steal to keep himself knowledgeable and, at least, head-to-head with his opponents. You couldn't slice a force user's thoughts. 

Finally Supreme Leader's eyes returned to Hux. "Very good. General Hux, send the teams I assigned and keep me up to date on the progress. Kylo Ren, prepare your Knights to attend me."

"Yes Supreme Leader."

"Yes, My Master."

Then the face of Luke Skywalker faded back to darkness. 

*** **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ben may not have been the only Skywalker being manipulated by Snoke. After the dust settled Luke and Ben figured out what he was up to and teamed up to destroy Snoke.
> 
> By then Luke had almost murdered his own nephew in cold blood, and killed another force user. He had gone so deep he realized he couldn't turn back. So he surrendered himself to the dark side . . .
> 
> I could think of a few TROS-canon reasons as well!


	2. Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kylo Ren and his tie escorts go to destroy his mother's ship, and quash the Resistence. Kylo didn't pull the trigger, so who did?

The battle was complete chaos. The tie fighters swarmed the Rebel ships, picking them off two and three at a time. The surprise attack had the Resistance struggling to scramble their defense, and Ren knew they had the numbers advantage as well--even as he watched two of his own ties explode into balls of light. 

Swinging wide and picking off x-wings that were in hot pursuit, Ren spotted the ship he was looking for. He buzzed it with his single-tie escort in tow, growling into the com, "with me." The tie fighter completed a complicated maneuver, shooting down two more x-wings in the process, and fell in to flank the Silencer. 

Hux appeared, small and annoying on his dash, commanding him to return. Ren growled again and slapped off the holo projector. He had no need of coverage. He had his escort. He had himself. 

They flew closer to the target ship, his moth--Her ship. The General's ship. He targeted the main bridge, reached out with the force. Knew she was there. 

And she knew he was there. 

He had expected a strong reaction to his invasion, to what atrocity he had committed just hours before. Hatred, raw anger, grief, perhaps even disbelief. But that wasn't what he felt. 

She didn't reach out, didn't try to invade his mind. If anything, she was laying herself bare before him. There was grief, yes. But not the toxic, revenge-inducing type he was expecting. That he had been hoping for. His thumb played over the trigger, the window to shoot rapidly closing. 

If she hated him, wanted him dead for what he had done--what he had taken from her--it would have been so much easier. 

Instead, her love, her belief in him, in his Light, washed over him. He fought it, wanted to hate her, wanted to want her dead. But he couldn't. It was blinding, her own light. He couldn't extinguish it. 

His thumb relaxed, moved off the trigger. 

At the very last second, there was a bright explosion, and Kylo realized that the bridge had been destroyed. In confusion he reached back out, trying to figure out what had happened. 

One of his escorts had fired, when he had not. His mother was gone. 

*** ** 

Ren leaped out of the Silencer before the hangar crew had even reached him. They gave him a wide berth, but all his focus was on the second tie that had followed him in. 

The other pilot jumped down, pulling off their black helmet. "Did you see that?" Poe Dameron yelled, his cocky grin even wider than usual. "Yes! We did it man." His smile mellowed as Ren approached. He bit his lip. 

Oblivious as always, Ren thought through the haze of anger clouding his mind. He registered the complete surprise on Poe's face as he grabbed his arm and pulled him up roughly. 

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! What's that for?" 

"What the Fuck did you think you were doing?" Growled Ren, right in his face. 

Poe looked around, still smirking. "You really wanna do this here? C'mon, let's get a little privacy." 

Ren let him shake off his hand, and followed him out of the hangar. The dark hallway wasn't exactly private, but there wasn't a whole fleet of onlookers, and in full view of the hangar bridge. 

"Listen," Poe said, turning to him and leaning in. "I was just doing what you couldn't. I didn't need the force to know Leia was on that bridge; you went in way too hot for her not to be. But you waited too long, man. It wasn't so hard for me to do it, never liked her that much anyway. She always thought she could replace my mom." His infuriating, charming smile returned. "Way I see it, I did you a favor." 

"I don't need your favors." Ren spit. He was still furious, and Poe's flippant tone wasn't exactly soothing him. But he was beginning to doubt who he was really angry with. 

"Now, you see, I think you did. The stormtroopers said it looked like Han had you convinced to do something back there on Starkiller. That you didn't kill him until there was a struggle." He shrugged, noncommittal. "Looked like it coulda been an accident." 

"No!" Ren stuck a gloved finger in his face. "I was goading him. Letting him think he had me, so I could see the real depth of his disappointment, when he realized I was lying to him." 

"Goading him?" Poe actually laughed. "Yeah, 'cause that's your usual style. Uh huh. Listen, I get that whole 'you knew you had to do it', and believe me, no one knows how much you hated him more than me. But no one Wants to kill their dad, no matter what. Well, except maybe your pal Hugs. So you wanna convince people you were playing with him? Go ahead. Hell, officially I can get behind that. But you and me? We both know better. Just like we both know you couldn't pull the trigger on your mom." He stepped in close, confidential. "Listen, it was just us out there. No one else knows, and no one else has gotta know. It was just us and KT-9980. And I can shut him up for you, if you think he can't keep his mouth . . ." 

Poe's eyes widened and his hand flew to his throat. Ren brought his hand, contracted with fury, up to his face. 

Not allowing attachments was a Jedi weakness. It wasn't the attachments that held the danger. It was the power over you that those attachments held. And this man held power over Ren. It wasn't love, that too was a Jedi failing. But he had followed him, from the light, into the dark. Into the pain and sacrifice that was necessary for him to get to where he was. He could kill his own father, but he couldn't kill this man. He was a pain in his ass, but he was loyal beyond life itself. 

Giving one final, vicious squeeze, Kylo threw his hand down with a disgusted sound. He watched Poe's satisfied expression, even as he gulped for air. Then he turned with a dramatic whirl and stormed away. 

Poe smirked as he rubbed his raw throat, watching Ren's retreat. "You wanna take care of him yourself? Maybe scramble his brains a bit? I get it. See you around, Ren." Then turned and went to see to his tie. 

*** **


End file.
